MA Rescue Shelters Brace For Lost Dogs Scared By Fireworks

DEDHAM — What can be a beautiful Fourth of July celebration for people can be one of the scariest times of the year for their canine companions. The night of July 4 and the day after are two of the busiest days of the year for animal shelters, according to the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Mike Defina, the communications director for the shelter, said the over-stimulation caused by fireworks is often too much for dogs to handle, leading to them running away.

"It's over-stimulation, the sudden noise can really spook an animal and really cause a number of things," Defina said.

Some of those things include a dog running for cover away from the noise or the noise even triggering the animal to become aggressive or defensive. Defina said that although it can be difficult to know exactly why a dog ran away, the Animal Rescue League brought in one dog, a good Samaritan found in Cambridge that was likely spooked by fireworks.

Defina said the shelter came to that conclusion based off information from the person who found the dog, and the fact the animal was healthy and its microchip was in good shape. Besides the one dog on July 3, the Animal Rescue League has not had any dogs come in that have been spooked by fireworks.

"A big goose egg at this point — although maybe people are being smarter and leaving their animals at home. That’s the hope!" Defina told Patch.

Patch called several local animal control offices and will update as more respond, but so far, it seems Massachusetts residents have been proactive this year. Foxborough, which holds one of the bigger Fourth of July celebrations at Gillette Stadium had their fireworks on July 3. Animal Control Officer Kaycee Bailey told Patch over the last few days, the only report of a lost dog to come to her desk was in Mansfield. There were no reported lost dogs in Foxborough since the fireworks on July 3.

"There seems to be a lot of information out there now," Bailey said.

She said she's noticed a lot of social media post proactively warning people about fireworks beforehand, and was happy to see people take the warning seriously.

Many pets that run away on the Fourth of July are never reunited with their owners, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy estimates that fewer than 2 percent of cats and 20 percent of dogs entering shelters are reunited with families.

Despite this difficulty, the Animal Rescue League has policies in place to help in case a dog is lost after fireworks or for any other reason.

"If the dog is micro-chipped and has an identification caller, we'll make every effort to reach out to the owners with the information provided," Defina said.

Defina said the Rescue League will post lost reports if no owner can be identified and certified letters if volunteers have trouble contacting an owner. Each case is different, but after a certain amount of time, the dogs are put up for adoption.

With the Fourth of July falling in the middle of the week, it's likely some people won't enjoy fireworks and other celebrations until the weekend. Although there's been new technology to keep dogs safe such as "thunder jackets", which are supposed to ease dogs' anxiety from loud noises, Defina said each dog's personality is different, so what might work for one dog might not work for all.

"The best solution is to just keep the dog at home," Defina said. "Keep them in a nice, quiet place."

If anyone's dog has gone missing after Fourth of July fireworks, contacting a local shelter is one of the best ways to help find your dog. Also, if you see a lost dog in the next few days, make sure to contact your local animal control department or pet shelter.

Here's a list of some animal shelters throughout Massachusetts:

• Animal Rescue League of Boston (Dedham and Boston)
• Scituate Animal Shelter (Scituate
• Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts (Brockton)
• Northeast Animal Shelter (Salem)
• Buddy Dog Humane Society (Sudbury)
• Quincy Animal Shelter (Quincy)
• MSPCA Animal Care and Adoption Center (Jamaica Plain)